Armagh forward Aimee Mackin has been named as the TG4 Ladies Football Senior Players’ Player of the Year for 2020.
23-year-old Mackin was awarded the award at a virtual ceremony on Saturday evening after being voted by her peers.
The Shane O’Neills player saw off stiff competition from Dublin duo Carla Rowe and Sinead Goldrick to claim the coveted individual award.
Mackin recovered from cruciate knee ligament damage sustained against Cork in 2019 to make a sensational impact in last year's Championship.
She scored 1-6 in the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship opener against Tyrone, before a 2-7 haul helped Armagh past Mayo and into a first semi-final appearance since 2015.
Armagh fell at the penultimate hurdle against eventual champions Dublin, but Mackin lit up Kingspan Breffni with an excellent display, registering 2-4 in defeat to bring her Championship haul to 5-17 from three outings.
Mackin was also named on the Senior Team of the Championship.
The Senior Team of the Championship in full is:
- Martina O’Brien – Cork
- Martha Byrne – Dublin
- Clodagh McCambridge – Armagh
- Eimear Meaney – Cork
- Melissa Duggan – Cork
- Blaithin Mackin – Armagh
- Sinead Goldrick – Dublin
- Jennifer Dunne – Dublin
- Louise Ward – Galway
- Carla Rowe – Dublin
- Lyndsey Davey – Dublin
- Aimee Mackin – Armagh
- Áine O’Sullivan – Cork
- Aishling Moloney – Tipperary
- Noelle Healy – Dublin
Vikki Wall, meanwhile, was named as the TG4 Intermediate Players’ Player of the Year following a brilliant season for the Royals.
The Dunboyne player was the Player of the Match from the Intermediate decider, as Meath, beaten finalists in 2019 and 2018, defeated Leinster rivals Westmeath to secure Senior Championship Football in 2021.
Wall’s Dunboyne clubmate Emma Duggan was also nominated for the Intermediate award, along with Westmeath captain Fiona Claffey.
The Junior accolade went to Fermanagh’s 20-year-old forward Eimear Smyth for the second successive year.
Smyth, from the Derrygonnelly Harps club, enjoyed another sparkling season with the Erne County, who atoned for their 2019 Final loss at the hands of Louth by going one better against Wicklow and securing Intermediate Championship football for the coming season.
Smyth’s Fermanagh team-mate Joanne Doonan and Wicklow’s Meadhbh Deeney were also nominated for the Junior award.
Reacting to the announcement of the team and the individual awards, Marie Hickey, Ladies Gaelic Football Association President, said:
“We are delighted to salute the various winners from ‘Peil na mBan – Foirne na Bliana – le AIG Insurance.’
“This was a wonderful production that brought so many memories flooding back as we looked back on our 2020 TG4 All-Ireland Championships.
“It was an extraordinary and unprecedented season that saw us play two of our All-Ireland Finals five days before Christmas Day – and we were treated to some brilliant football across the three grades.
“Our players went to great lengths to represent their counties and it was right to acknowledge the efforts of leading players in the Junior, Intermediate and Senior grades.
“Well done to the 45 players selected on the Teams of the Championship, and our TG4 Players’ Player of the Year award winners."
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